Two-part hoisting-bucket.



No. 737,408. PATENTED AUG. 25, 1903. h A. E. HOWES.

TWO-PART HOISTING BUCKET.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 2, 1903. NO MODEL.

-ZZZML7AW by UNITED STATES Patented August 25, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

TWO-PART HOISTTING-BUCKET.

SPECIFICATIQN forming part of Letters Patent No. 737,408, dated August 25, 1903.

Application filed January 2, 1903. Serial No. 137,539. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALB'INUS E. HOWES, a citizen of the United States, residing at West Pullman, county of Cook, State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Two-Part Hoisting-Buckets; and I declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which forma part of this specification.

My inven tion relates generally toapparatus for handling material, and more particularly to receptacles or buckets for receiving and holding the material while it is being transferred to any desired point. Inloading and unloading material-such, for instance, as coal-or in transferring it from one storagespace to another it is of advantage to employ large buckets into which the material is sho'veled and in which it is transported by suitable hoisting apparatus to the point where it is to be deposited. Such buckets are frequently made in two parts, which may be swung apart to permit the material to fall from the bucket.

The primary object of my invention is to provide a two-part bucket for handling material, the parts of which remain closed together while receiving and carrying the material, but which may be readily relatively moved apart to dump the material.

A further object of my invention is to provide a two-part bucket of the character referred to in which the material may be weighed as it is received prior to its being deposited at the desired point.

A further object of myinvention is to provideatwo-part hoisting-bucket which will be simple in construction, inexpensive in manufacture, and efficient in use.

My invention, generally described, consists in a bucket composed of two similar parts, a cross-bar located above the juncture of the two parts of the bucket and from which both parts of the bucket are pivotally supported, guide-arms supported by and projecting in opposite directions from said cross-bar and extending over the two parts of the bucket, a trip-line guided by said arms and secured to the two parts of the bucket at or near their outer edges, a scale-beam pivoted upon and lying ad acent to said cross beam, and a hoisting-cable secured to said scale-beam.

My invention will be more fully described hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which the same is illustrated as embodied in a convenient and practical form, and in which Figure 1 is an elevational view of the bucket, the two parts being shown in their closed position; Fig. 2, a view similar to Fig. 1, showing the bucket open; Fig. 3, a plan view of the bucket with the parts thereof closed together; and Fig. 4 an elevational view of the cross-bar, showing the scale mounted thereon.

Similar reference characters are used'to indicate similar parts in the several figures of the drawings.

Reference characters A and A designate the two parts of the bucket, which are preferably provided with curved bottoms and ver tical sides.

.a and a indicate braces secured to the side walls of the two parts A and A of the bucket, respectively. These braces are preferably triangular and are provided with overlapping portions at their upper ends, in which are perforations to receive the reduced ends I) b of a cross-bar B or through which pass bolts. The construction and location of the triangular braces a and a are such that the two parts of the bucket swing by gravity toward each other, so that the adjacent edges thereof are brought into close engagement, as shown in Fig. 1. I

Guide-arms O and C are rigidly secured to the vertical faces of the cross-bar B and project in opposite directions lengthwise over the two parts of the bucket, as clearly shown in the figures of the drawings. The outer ends of the guide-armsarebifurcated and are provided with guide-pulleys c and 0 The inner ends of the supporting-arms are provided with plates 0, by means of which the arms are rigidly secured to the cross-bar B.

One end of a scale-beam D is pivotallysupported between the ends of the plates 0, which project above the cross-beam B. A supporting-link D is pivotally secured to the scalebeam D at a point adjacent to the end d thereof, which is pivotally secured between the plates 0. A Weight d engages the beam A respectively, of the bucket.

D and is adjustable thereon to indicate the weight of the material in the bucket. A loop (1 is secured to the cross-bar B and surrounds the end of the beam of the scale, so as to limit the upward movement thereof when the weight of the material overbalances the weight on the scale. A trip-line E extends to a point above the juncture of the guide-arms O and C with the cross-bar B. From such point the trip-line divides'and portions there of E and E extend in opposite directions around the guide-rollers c and c and are secured to the outer edges of the parts A and A hoistingcable is secured tothe link D and thence passes to any suitable form of hoisting apparatus.

The operation of my invention is as follows: The bucket is suspended by the cable, and the two parts of the bucket are retained by gravity in contact with each other, as shown in Fig. 1. The material to be moved is then shoveled into the bucket until the latter has been filled to any desired extent. The weight of the material in the bucket may then be accurately determined by adjusting the weight upon the scale-beam. The bucket, with the material therein, is then transferred by the hoisting mechanism to any desired point where the material is to be deposited. Tension is then exerted upon the trip-line E, which causes the two parts of the bucket to swing apart to the position shown in Fig. 2, thereby permitting the material to fall from both halves of the bucket through the space between their adjacent edges. In lieu of exerting a tension upon the trip-line it may be made fast and the hoisting-cable then slacked, which causes the two parts of the bucket to be swung apart and the material thereby dumped. By providing the guide-arms for the trip-line a direct upward pull is exerted upon the outer edges of the two parts of the bucket when the trip-line is subjected to tension, thereby positively separating the parts of the buckets and insuring the removal of the material therefrom. It will be noticed that the cross-bar serves several functionsnamely, that of pivotally supporting the two parts of the bucket, supporting the guidearms, and supporting the scale, thereby enabling the material to be weighed at the same time it is being transferred.

From the foregoing description it will be observed that I have invented an improved two-part hoisting-bucket the parts of which are securely held together by gravity while the material is being loaded upon the bucket \and are positively moved apart to dump the material. It will be further observed that my improvement makes provisionfor Weighing the material while it is being supported in the bucket.

While I have described more or less precisely the details of construction, I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself thereto, as I contemplate changes in form, the prosupported, guide arms supported by said cross-bar and extendingin opposite directions over the two parts of said bucket, a hoistingcable connected to said cross-bar, and a tripline connected to the outer ends of the two parts of the bucket and guided by said arms.

2. In a hoisting bucket, the combination with two relatively movable parts, a cross-bar upon which said two parts are pivotally supported, arms supported by said cross-bar and extending in opposite directions over the two parts of said bucket, guide-rollers journaled in the outer ends of said arms above the outer edges of'the two parts of the bucket, a tripline guided by said rollers and connected to the outer edges of the two parts of the bucket, and a hoisting-cable connected to said crossbar.

3. In ahoisting bucket, the combination with two relatively movable parts each comprising a curved bottom and vertical side walls, of substantially triangular brackets securedto the adjoining ends of the side walls of the two parts of the bucket, a cross bar upon the opposite ends of which are pivotally supported the upper portions of said brackets thereby supporting the two parts of the bucket from said cross bar, a hoistingcable connected to said cross-bar, guide-arms supported by said cross bar and extending in opposite directions over the two parts of the bucket, and a trip-line connected to the outer ends of the two parts of the bucket and guided by said arms.

4. In a hoisting bucket, the combination with two relatively movable parts, of a crossbar from which said two parts of the bucket pivotally depend, a scale beam pivotally mounted upon said cross bar, a hoistingcable connected to said scale-beam, guidearms supported by said cross-beam extend-- ing in opposite directions over said bucket, and a trip-line connected to the outer edges of the two parts of said bucket and guided by said arms.

5. In a hoisting bucket, the combination with two relatively movable parts, of a crossbar from which said two parts of the bucket pivotally depend, guide arms extending in opposite directions over the two parts of the bucket, plates integral with the inner ends of said arms secured to the opposite sides of said cross-bar and projecting above the same, a scale-beam pivoted at one end between the portions of said plate which extend above the cross-bar, a hoisting-cable connected to said scale-beam, and a trip-line connected to the outer edges of the two parts of the bucket l scale-beam adjacentto its pivotal connection :0 and guided by said arms. with said bar.

6. In a hoisting bucket, the combination In testimony whereof I sign this specificawith a cross-bar from which the bucket detion in the presence of twowitnesses.

pends of a scale-beam pivotally connected at one end to the top of said bar at substan- ALBINUS HOWES' tially the center thereof, said scale-beam ex- Witnesses:

tending immediately above and parallel with GEO. L. WILKINSON,

said bar, and ahoisting-cable secured to said O. O. CUNNINGHAM. 

